Friday, January 29, 2010

I spoke to the brave Gujarati girl a couple of days ago. She is a very brave and intelligent girl. Tough we spoke most of the time in Hindi (with my broken butler Hindi), for her background, she spoke English comfortably. At the end I am convinced that she has a great potential to excel, only if there a helping hand to give her a push in this time of need.

5.She is currently doing a basic computer training that is required for teaching position

6.She is also doing BA (English) from Dr Ambedkar Open University and continue it even after joining a job

7.Her wish is to become an officer

8.Many NGOs and politicians visited her, but did not get any help so far

9.She is doing labor work (Rs. 30-40/day) to feed herself and her family while attending school

10.Her father is not willing to send her away from Mahesana for fear of her safety. I am trying to convince on this.

11.Immediate need is to find a job for her to stand on her own legs and to keep her mind occupied

12.She is very confident that she will be OK and her statement "I consider myself a victor, not a victim" impressed me so much.

13.I was told (by other sources) that she attempted suicide a few weeks ago. I purposefully avoided bringing it into conversation.

What we did so far:

1.We collected approximately Rs.1 lakh. We are considering all possibilities to help her the best way. I will ask your suggestions on this ASAP.

2.We are talking to several contacts (intellectuals and people in position) in India to get her a job near her place.

3.We are trying to understand what her priorities in education. She is keen on becoming an officer. We are exploring the possibilities of sending her to an English speaking course, advanced computer course (if she is interested). She was not interested in Nursing, though I thought that may fetch a quick and a comfortable job.

4.She may need psychological counseling to keep her out of depression. We are finding possibilities of getting such help. We are asking around.

Currently, Mr Kirit and Dr Raghavendra, both from Gujarat helping me on this case. Thanks to both of them apart from all donors.

Due to the sensitivity of the issue, we are very careful. But, without asking we will not be able to help. So, if someone can help us in anyway, please let me know ASAP.

We are still collecting donations. Please send if you like to help her.

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Nooyi for women's quota at Davos Jan 29 2010 Indra Nooyi, the first Indian-born chief executive at PepsiCo, wants a quota system to get more women at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Nooyi ranked No. 3 on Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women list last year laments that at this "one-of-a-kind initiative," women are still grossly underrepresented.

"We are up to 15 percent now, but I think the numbers should be more like 40 percent-50 percent," she told ForbesWoman at Davos noting that one of the problems is that women have not "done enough" to bring other women into Davos.

While she acknowledged that definitive conclusions were rarely, if ever, reached at the Swiss resort, it is a time for great leaders, executives and thinkers to talk about issues in a "fairly open way."

The 54-year-old business leader believes that bringing together a critical mass of women at Davos would ensure that women's issues were more prominent on the agenda.

Putting women on panels and having a quota system where every panel has at least one woman would "change the whole nature of Davos," she asserts. And just getting women to Davos at least once to "show them how powerful Davos could be," is the first step on a long road to success, she maintains.

Women's issues aside, Nooyi's outlook on 2010 is cautiously optimistic. While the Western economies-the US and Western Europe-are still struggling, the Middle East is experiencing tremendous buoyancy, she says.

Citing employment and job creation as the "engine of growth," Nooyi warns that North America, Mexico and Western Europe have to ramp up their efforts on these fronts, this year.

"At this point, we have to put our faith in all of the leaders and hope that all of the policy actions they're taking actually leads to something," she concludes.

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Lucknow: The grand memorials the BSP government has built for Dalit icons here and in Noida are still mired in legal battle but that has not deterred it from coming out with a proposal for raising a special security force at a cost of about Rs.60 crore for protecting them.

A bill, titled "State Special Region Security Bill, 2010", tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma, aims at providing security to the various memorials, status and parks set up in the state.

The measure describes the memorials, parks and other important places as "special region" for the purpose of providing security to them. While the UP government estimates place the cost of the memorials in Lucknow at Rs. 2,600 crore, the one in Noida, near Delhi, is around Rs.650 crore.

They include the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, Dr Ambedkar Bihar, Manyavar Kanshiramji Smarak Sthal as well 13, Mall Avenue (the bungalaow allotted to Chief Minister Mayawati when she was CM earlier and has since then been converted into a memorial) and the Gautam Buddh Nagar Samta Moolak Sthal in Noida, near Delhi.

Following public interest ligation in Supreme Court in the wake of raging controversy over public money being spent on these memorials, work in all these memorials has been put on hold.

Under the bill, the raising of the force would cost Rs53 crore while a recurring annual expenditure is estimated at around Rs.14 crore, excluding the expenditure on land required for purpose of having infrastructure for the force.

IPS and PPS officers would be appointed to head the top positions in the new force while subordinate staff would be directly recruited.

In the initial stage, only one battalion of the force would be raised but the state government would have the right to expand it.

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NEW DELHI: Nearly four months after the Supreme Court took exception to huge public funds being spent on 24 memorial projects for Dalit leaders in Lucknow and stayed all ongoing work, the Mayawati government on Thursday sought its permission to complete the work at the project sites.

The reason for such permission articulated in the application filed through additional advocate general Shail Kumar Dwivedi was interesting to say the least for it said: "Public funds have been expended on these constructions, and it is necessary that they be fully completed by the contractors, which at this stage requires removal of shortcomings."

The state through senior advocate Harish Salve gave an undertaking before a Bench comprising Justices H S Bedi and A K Patnaik that "no new project will be launched nor any new construction undertaken in any of these projects."

Before reserving the orders on UP's application, the Bench sought response of the petitioners. Their counsel -- senior advocates A M Singhvi and Rajeev Dhawan -- termed this as a "trap" to eke out a concession which the apex court had stoutly denied through its interim orders of September 11 and October 6 last year.

Singhvi said no grave urgency has been pointed out by the state to carry on with the unfinished work and expressed apprehension that "it is a trap by the state of Uttar Pradesh". The Bench said: "We can assure you that we will not get into any trap."

Dhawan said that the nature and breadth of work specified by the UP government to be carried out at Kashiram Smarak Sthal, Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Sthal, Samajik Parivartan Sangrahalaya (Stupa) and Pratibimb Sthal and Pyramid (Drishya Sthal) only showed the anxiety of the state to get on with the unfinished work in the name of maintenance and repair.

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The Uttar Pradesh chief minister's latest move would be consideredunusual even in a country with a monarchial tradition like Britain,whose spiesare said to be On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS). If the Britishparliament adopted a bill like the one recently moved by the UPgovernment, OHMSS could even stand for On Her Majesty's StatueService! A special task force (STF) of 1,000 policemen is to be set upto guard the 10 memorials in UP — 9 in Lucknow, one in Noida —featuring Mayawati's statues along with those of Ambedkar and KanshiRam.

The Supreme Court had stayed the construction of more such memorials,responding to a petition alleging expenditure of crores of rupees ofpublic money on these statues. UP, whose ratio of policemen per every100,000 people is among the lowest in India, will now have the world'sbest ratio for cops protecting statues, especially those of MsMayawati, who could cite Opposition leader Mulayam Singh's threat topull down the statues, if his party regained power, to defend the newforce.

Mayawati's advisers could well ask whether a squad of 1,000 cops isalone enough to protect these statues from all those harbouringnefarious designs. For instance, can a land-based force foil pigeonswhich relieve thermselves on statues in even the most developednations? The historic statue in London's Trafalgar Square has to bescrubbed to remove traces of bird droppings so often that, fourdecades ago, the wife of the then British prime minister Harold Wilsonwrote a poem which began, "They are cleaning Lord Nelson".

If Lucknow's pigeons are as poorly toilet-trained as their Londoncounterparts, the only way to maintain the pristine purity of theMayawati memorials would be to have a mini air-force of pilots inplanes to chase away approaching birds. Competitions could be held todecide which is the cleanest memorial and the officer in charge couldbe fast-tracked for promotion!

'Thakur' Amar Singh for Rajput resurgence in Indian politics! Submitted by admin4 on 29 January 2010 - 10:56am. Articles India Politics Indian Muslim By Adnan Alavi,

The decline in influence of Thakur leaders in Indian politics has been a cause of concern among the once-dominant Rajput community.

And Amar Singh's visible haste in moving away from Samajwadi Party and Mulayam Singh, is an indication that the suave-socialite now wants to play the pivotal role for Rajput resurgence.

He is already one of the most prominent faces of the community in the country. The fact that major North Indian states where Thakurs earlier used to hold political clout, have undergone a sea change in post-mandal politics, and there is a void in the leadership of the Rajputs seems to have stirred Amar.

It's difficult to predict whether he will succeed. However, Amar Singh seems to have taken the plunge and has burnt his boats. He may not be a leader of grassroots but has certain qualities, to which we will come later in this blog post.

WHITHER THAKURS

Once Bollywood was so fixated that in every other Hindustani movie, the Thakur was branded as a villain and for decades shown as an oppressor. [Of course there were exceptions like the heroic Sanjeev Kumar playing the pro-poor Thakur in Sholay.]

In fact, Thakur got more than their share of blame. But never in the past Thakurs seemed so concerned about the lack of tall Thakur leaders in the country. And it is indeed ironical that the tallest Thakur leader VP Singh became instrumental in changing the Indian political scenerio.

Singh, during his brief term as Prime Minister, implemented the Mandal report, which changed the complexion of Indian polity.

Thakurs, who aren't numerically a strong force, lost the political space. Backwards like Yadavs and Kurmis, Dalits, Tribal and other OBCs who were much more numerous soon took over.

Chandra Shekhar became Prime Minister for four months. Arjun Singh was one of the strongest Thakur leaders and came close to becoming Prime Minister.

The days of Vir Bahadur Singh, who was Chief Minister of UP, and Digvijay Singh ruling Madhya Pradesh [or Virbhadra Singh in Himachal Pradesh] are gone.

Of course, Raman Singh is at the helm in Chhattisgarh but his influence is limited. The number of Rajput MLAs and MPs has gone down significantly in the last two decades.

Thakur stalwarts like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Singh have been either shunned or sidelined in their respective parties. Jaswant Singh and Rajnath are also gone from the scene. Do we even hear of Karan Singh these days?

KSHATRIYAS+EBCs It is in this context that the need for Thakurs to play a part in politics is being felt dearly. It is quite clear that Kshatriya organisations at district and town levels are giving such feelers that they would back Amar Singh wholeheartedly.

After all, it is not possible for a Thakur in dynasty ruled Congress to play a major role. Amar Singh, with his manoeuvres, connections and other qualities, can either head a political party supported by Thakurs or lead a loose group of Thakur MPs.

If one does focus on his statement published in a post on his blog, then it's crystal clear that Singh aims at forging an alliance of Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) or Most Backward Castes (MBCs) who abhor the OBC dominance.

Yes, SP rule was perceived as Yadav raj and BSP rule appears Dalit monarcy. But can he get the necessary support. Amar Singh now says that he would dedicate himself to Kshatriyas and Nishads, Rajbhars, Nonia, Vishwakarma, Pal, Teli and caste groups like Kashyap, Kumhar et al.

It may appear a fantasy but there are signs that his community members want him to play a pan-Indian role. Given the strong sense of clanship among Thakurs, even if they belong to diverse political spectrum, this is a possibility.

However, electoral victory is not easy. Thakur population is relatively small and given the feudal influence, there are still resentment among Thakur leaders in rural areas. The million dollar question that how Amar can act as magnet to the neglected micro-minuscule groups that number 1-3% each? [Now he doesn't talk about Muslims, naturally.]

Brahmins had also suffered electorally after Mandal commission report but because they are a strong caste group, numbering around 9% in UP and 5-8% in other North Indian states, their alignment can benefit any coalition and thus they are again being wooed.

Singh has some strengths. Apart from the ability to recall and recite couplet for any occasion, he even otherwise has a way with words and knows how to stay in news. Sections of Muslims praise him as he was the only man who spoke courageously after the Batla House encounter, at a time, when no Muslim leader was visible on the streets.

It is a fact that he stands by his friends and has certain characteristics which endear him to others. Otherwise there are many more cash-rich and connected persons in this country but none of them can boast of dedicated friendships of the likes of Anil Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Prada and Sanjay Dutt among others.

Especially in the class of celebreties where people have huge egos and nobody bothers much for the other, he goes the extra mile and takes care for his friends, which attract them towards Singh. Samajwadi Party leaders and workers seem happy that Singh is gone. But the SP has a tough battle ahead.

For Amar Singh. He is testing waters and is touring UP, gauging the support of his community and other groups before taking a decision. It may not change the shape of Indian politics but Thakurs are poised to support him in his move.

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Undertakes 40-km padayatra and submits memorandum to District Revenue Officer

Seeking justice: Members of the Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam squattednear the Collector's chamber in Krishnagiri on Thursday demandingproper reply from the Collector. —

KRISHNAGIRI: Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to CommunistParty of India (Marxist) undertook a 40-km padayatra and submitted amemorandum to District Revenue Officer (DRO) P. Prabhakar here onThursday urging the district administration to retrieve landsbelonging to Dalits in Reddipatti village. P. Shanmugam, StateSecretary of the Sangam led the padayatra.

As they were not satisfied with the response, the Sangam memberssquatted near the Collector's chamber.

Mr. Shanmugam also urged the district administration to retrieve thelands from caste Hindus at Ittikal Agaram village and Vasanthapalli.

Earlier, the yatra commenced from Reddipatti village on Wednesday andreached Krishnagiri via Thattakkal, Kaveripattinam on Thursdayevening. The sangam said about 500 acres in Reddipatti were cultivatedby poor Dalits for more than 50 years.

These lands were categorised in the revenue records as 'ThottiUzhiyam', distributed during the British rule. The village Reddipattiis situated between SIPCOT in Bargur and Vanipatti Lake. Most of theselands are rainfed tracts and uplands and farmers used to cultivateonly dry crop.

Migration

As a result, many Dalit families were not economically sound. Manyfarmers migrated to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to earn theirlivelihood.

It is alleged that a certain Chettiyar familyruled the villagefor over50 years. During the period, the Chettiyar family exploited theDalitsand surreptitiously transferred their lands to Chettiyar familyin 1985 with the connivance of revenue officials.

As the Dalits did not have the money or muscle power to fight theChettiyars they kept quiet all these years. Those who showed grit tostand up to the might of the Chettiyar family were threatened by theChettiyars' goondas or tortured by the police and were thrown out ofthe lands they were cultivating.

A Dalit A. Duraisamysubmitted many memoranda to the government urgingit to cancel the illegal pattas given to the Chettiyar family.

In 2001 the then district collector of the combined Dharmapuridistrict K. Balachandran directed the Revenue Divisional Officer toinquire into the alleged scamand file a report in 30 days. But theChettiyar family managed to block the inquiry.

After the bifurcation of Krishnagiri district, Mr. Duraisamy submitteda memorandum to the Krishnagiri RDO on November 11, 2005. An inquirywas conducted on April 5, 2006. Meanwhile, Mr. Duraisamy died in June2006.

After the demise of Mr. Duraisamy, the Chettiyar family startedselling the lands cultivated by him, it was alleged. More than 300families live in this village.

Some of the Dalits told that they could not get the information aboutthe `Thoti Uzhiyam" land through RTI.